


Fireflies and Spiders: A Fic for Megu

by moricat



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Armin loves Bugs, Bugs & Insects, Domestic Fluff, Eren is squeamish, M/M, Marco has a crush on Armin, Megu is great!, Romance, idk how to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 07:31:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13608558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moricat/pseuds/moricat
Summary: In which Armin takes his squeamish boyfriend Eren to an insectarium to geek out at the bugs and cure their woes.This fic is a gift to the wonderful megumegufire whom I hope has a wonderful birthday with all the eremin and udon she deserves<3





	Fireflies and Spiders: A Fic for Megu

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RamblingMegome](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RamblingMegome/gifts).



_I can dim the lights and sing you songs full of sad things_   
_We can do the tango just for two_   
_I can serenade and gently play on your heart strings_   
_Be your Valentino just for you..._

Eren's hands splashed into the warm soapy water as the music blasting from his iPhone swirled around his ears in the hypnotic way it often did. Immersed in nothing but his Queen playlist, a clean household, and thoughts of his long-time boyfriend, Armin, who was sorting out the monthly budget in the bedroom, Eren discovered a very special sort of feeling he never expected to adore as much as he did: domestic bliss.

He rhythmically circled the sponge over the plate to the beat of the song and his body couldn't help dancing to it a bit as well. But of course his mind was completely swept away by the music with thoughts of Armin... This song always made Eren think about him, and perfectly evoked that spry feeling the little blond fellow would inspire in him every time he came around. The excitement of being around him, the warmth he felt with him, the joy, the empowerment, the encouragement, and the love... They'd been together for so long now and yet it all felt just as wonderful and thrilling as it ever did.

_Ooh let me feel your heartbeat (grow faster, faster)_   
_Ooh ooh can you feel my love heat, ooh_   
_Come on and sit on my hot-seat of love_   
_And tell me how do you feel right after-all_

Eren made a cheeky grin as he stared into the foamy dishwater surrounding the big mixing spoon, thinking about the feeling of Armin's heartbeat thumping against his hand as it rested over his bare chest during their foreplay in bed, and felt a heat sweep over him for the thought of Armin sitting in his lap and grinding over him ever so kindly... _Maybe tonight I should give him **that** look and take him for a little ride..._ he thought, rubbing the sponge along the spoon a little harder than he needed to. He gave it a quick rinse and laid it to dry on the little rack beside the sink, flinging a few suds through the air as he bopped along, happily imagining he were a dancing, suave Casanova at a party, impressing a sharp dressed Armin, whose big curious eyes were glowing for him from across the way before Eren melted him into a vibrating mess of mush with his charming words and slippery tongue... Eren returned to reality for a moment with an exhale and moved on to the soaking pot, mindlessly scrubbing away the beef stew stains from last night's dinner as he let the music and his thoughts carry him off even further.

_When I'm not with you_   
_I think of you always_   
_(I miss those long hot summer nights) I miss you_

A soft smile slipped over Eren's lips for some old memories. Summer nights with Armin from his high school years were always something special. Just the two of them nestled together in the soft grass chasing fireflies in the twilight, Armin yammering on and on about what the bugs did and why they glowed, and Eren just being so fascinated with his every word that the rest of the world may as well be invisible. And when Armin would try to hand Eren a firefly to hold, his hands would always rest against Eren's a little longer than they should've, with both of them too shy to admit how much they longed to hold hands there under the stars while the dancing fireflies flickered around them. And still none of those glowing bugs could hold a candle to Armin's eyes as far as Eren was concerned... The nostalgia of that moment flooded through his heart, and his lips curled up into a big grin for how far they'd come from those days of being clumsy best friends...

_Love you, love you..._

He laid the pot to dry on the rack and lifted the dirty mixing bowl off the counter to scrub it next, only to scream and fling it over his head in surprise as a big ugly spider began crawling along the counter. He grabbed the soapy cookie sheet from the sink and immediately whacked it over the counter with a loud clang to kill the beast without a second thought. His heart raced for how scary the thing looked, very happy to have ended it before it likely would've bitten them in their sleep and sent them to an early grave. Being a lover of insects and animals, Armin always preferred not to kill anything if possible, but Eren certainly felt like he would sleep better tonight knowing the thing was dead. Nothing was gonna stop him from protecting his household, no way, no how. Not a moment later, Armin quickly came running through the bedroom door to see what was wrong.

"Eren, are you okay?! I heard you scream, and then I heard a crash, what happened?" he asked worriedly, running up to his boyfriend and scanning him for injury.

Eren smiled again as the little splurge of adrenaline dissipated and paused the music on his phone to answer him. "Everything's fine, don't worry, I just slipped and dropped the cookie sheet on the counter." he replied, drying his hands on the yellow tea towel by the sink.

"Oh, phew. I thought you might've hurt yourself." Armin chuckled as he sighed in relief, but quickly replaced it with a big grin. "Oh! Hey, before I forget, did you see the big wolf spider I found this morning?! It's so cool looking, I was waiting for you to come home from the store so I could show it to you before I put it outside, but I got so busy working on the budget that it slipped my mind. It's under the mixing bowl here--"

A rush went through Eren's cheeks as a familiar guilt washed over him. And it only worsened as he watched Armin scan the counter top for the bowl that he'd thrown across the room. _Damn it._ he thought. _Here it comes..._ "... Umm, about that..."

Armin seemed to immediately deflate within a mere couple of seconds as he put the pieces together.

Eren shamefully looked away as he lifted the cookie sheet, revealing the squashed spider to his bug loving partner.

"Oh, I see..." came his monotonous response.

Eren immediately jumped in to apologize. "I'm really sorry! I didn't know it was yours, it freaked me out and it looked so dangerous and--"

Armin listened to the excuse with an unchanging expression.

Eren could only sigh in sorrow. "I'm sorry..."

Armin nodded his head and forced a little smile, despite clearly still being disappointed with him. "It's fine. I'm gonna go make a phone call. Excuse me for a minute."

Eren stepped aside for Armin to go around him and watched as he quietly picked up the mixing bowl and replaced it on the counter before striding off into the bedroom. After he disappeared, Eren groaned at himself with regret and began thinking of what he could do to make up for his mistake. _Shit, what do I do?..._ he thought. _Oh! I know, I'll make his favorite for dinner tonight! Extra spice, extra fire, **I** won't even be able to eat it!_ He declared to himself and he immediately got to work in the kitchen, clattering pans and spices to get dinner rolling early so it could have a long, slow simmer. However, Armin slipped out of the bedroom door again with a smile on his face, and Eren paused to give him his undivided attention. "Hey! I've got your favorite on the menu for tonight!" He purred. "Just the way you like it!"

Armin laid his hand on Eren's arm with his smile unchanging, seemingly not caring about dinner. "Eren, that was Marco, he offered to let me come in for free to his dad's insectarium this weekend! I'd turned him down since we were doing housework this weekend, but I'd really like for you to come visit it with me now."

Eren gave him an awkward smile. "Now?..."

"Please." the blond said firmly.

Eren could tell he really wanted this and after killing his spider, he knew there was only one answer to that request. "Okay..."

\--

Eren wasn't a huge fan of bugs, like most of your average people. But Armin was, and so Eren developed a certain, odd enthusiasm for them. He was happy to listen to Armin talk about them, loving the look in his eyes he had when he rambled on about anything he was passionate about. But they still weren't a very personal joy for him. As long as Armin was near, he'd be able to tolerate most anything crawly being in his space, and Armin could even comfort him into letting small and cute bugs crawl on him, and he'd smile all the way. Ladybugs, pillbugs, butterflies, moths, and fireflies were A-okay with him, but spiders, not so much. Armin on the other hand, loved them all and seemed to have an especially great affinity for spiders... If Armin was around, Eren could appreciate spiders from a distance, but otherwise he preferred they stay in their own space. He'd learned to wait until Armin wasn't around to reluctantly kill any invasive spiders he might've found “threatening” him around the apartment, but today he would find himself whole-heartedly regretting it...

"So, what are we going to see?" he asked Armin with a smile.

"I dunno. Hopefully lots of spiders though." Armin replied, seemingly not realizing how guilty Eren was feeling. "Marco mentioned having some new arrivals."

"Oh. Cool..." Eren replied, looking off in the other direction.

The Bodt Bug House was on the east end of the park zoo right by the entrance. Armin had a bit of a spring in his step as he strolled up the steps into the little building while Eren followed along, trying not to seem too down after the events of that afternoon. Armin didn't even seem interested in his dinner plan, and this wasn't the first time he'd been caught killing a little bug or spider friend of Armin's, so he was a bit worried this time around. The pair was stopped at the front by the security guard and were asked for tickets, but a happy go lucky freckled nerd with a name tag reading 'Marco' came out to greet them just a moment later, eyes shining as they spotted Armin.

"Hey, Armin! I'm so glad you-- Oh. You brought Eren along?" he asked, the chipperness in his voice subtly declining as he realized Eren was present behind the happy Armin.

Eren maintained his poise but couldn't help noticing the slight hint of disappointment tinging Marco's voice as he'd said that...

"Yeah! I really wanted him to see the exhibit, I hope that's okay?" Armin replied with a lot of sweetness in his voice, and Marco immediately resumed his demeanor.

"Oh, of course it's okay! You're welcome anytime and so are any guests you'd like to bring!" he assured him with a grin, placing a hand on Armin's arm, which Eren was rather annoyed by... "I really like your outfit!" he told him with the light returned to his golden eyes.

"What, this old thing?" Armin laughed, gesturing to his too-big blue sweater that draped over him and past his waist, with his old, slightly stained, white collared shirt and loose black pants beneath. "I just dressed for comfort today."

Eren frowned from Armin's side. He didn't even take note of his outfit that day, but like Armin said, there was nothing to note! Did Marco really need to bother with that compliment? And why was Eren so annoyed by it?...

The pair followed Marco's lead into the exhibit, and Armin's face lit up so brightly, Eren was sure it wasn't the sunshine from the skylight lighting this place up. Nothing made him happier than seeing Armin in this state. The blond's deep blue eyes darted around the facility, his sights jumping from tank to tank at all the bugs, spiders, and even a few snakes and lizards on display while the reptile house was being repaired.

"Like it? We really spread budget increase we got." Marco chuckled, letting his hand slip over Armin's shoulder as he gestured to his father's menagerie of little creatures before them.

"I love it..." Armin replied with a sigh in his voice that brought yet another smile to Eren's lips.

"Take your pick, let me know if you wanna hold anything..." the freckled boy offered as he smiled down at Armin.

Eren squinted a bit and pulled Armin close to him. "Well, what sort of bugs do you wanna see first, Armin?"

Marco jumped in with suggestions. "Ooh, well our butterfly room just got several new species in, our mantis exhibit has a bunch of guys due for molting, and of course our spider exhibit is ripe and ready just for you, Armin!" he beamed, causing Eren to inexplicably frown again. He then turned to the taller fellow beside him. "What's your favorite bug, Eren?"

"Fireflies." Eren replied a little sternly.

"Oh. Well, we don't have those." came Marco's simple but apologetic response through a feigned smile that kept Eren on edge.

"Can we please look at the spider exhibit?" Armin asked with this precious voice that inadvertently made Eren feel like a real jerk, all things considered.

If he'd known Armin was going to be this upset, he'd never have killed that big ugly wolf spider, no matter how scary it was.

Marco gestured ahead of himself in a gentlemanly manner. "Right this way, the spiders are just past these other critters' exhibits."

Eren followed alongside Armin, trying to think of various ways to make his boyfriend happy with him again, and worrying a little too because he could swear Marco was trying to flirt with Armin...

\--

Marco and Armin had been very good buddies since they were young and even kept in touch through college. They loved discussing comic books, shows, movies, science, bugs, technology, and everything in between. Armin loved Marco's family business because it gave him endless opportunities to play with animals and learn about bugs, and for Armin, that was certainly a privilege that he was honored to be able to take for granted. But once Armin met Eren, all he ever did was spend his time with him, and bug houses weren't really something Eren had a particular interest in. This visit thus made for a very special treat that filled Armin with nostalgic bliss, and new thrills as he could finally show Eren all the wonders of insects up close.

"That's a praying mantis!" Armin explained as he pointed to the tiny green resident in the little tank at about waist-height in front of them. "Isn't she beautiful?"

"Uhh, yeah. Beautiful." Eren lied, staring at what looked like a little alien carcass hanging just above the creepy mantis. He could appreciate the scientific wonder of it, but the beauty? He'd have to leave that to the blue eyes of the beholder beside him.

"She's molting her skin so it leaves behind this really cool shell that looks just like her! Guess she's gonna want some dinner soon." Armin chuckled.

"Hope you'll come back to visit during their mating season too! I-If you don't mind seeing that sort of horror show, that is." Marco offered a bit nervously. Armin appreciated violence in stories and movies, even in ones he himself had written, but seeing it in person, even with bugs, was always a little iffy with him.

"Eheh, maybe some other time." Armin declined politely.

"Is it like... graphic or something?" Eren asked curiously, sure Armin might've told him once but having long since forgotten what mantises do.  

"They um... eat the heads of their mates and then their corpses." Marco explained bluntly, unsure how to explain it any other way than that. He then chuckled with an attempt to lighten the mood. "I always like to imagine the males did something horrible to anger the females, justifying her desire to bite his head off and eat him."

Eren gulped. Something about that thought just made him a little sick to his stomach.

"Did you wanna hold one, Eren?" Marco asked happily.

Eren felt like he couldn't say no fast enough. But he swallowed the urge and declined gently. "Ah, no thank you. Maybe Armin would though." he suggested, happy to divert the offer to his own nerdy sweetheart as he tried to picture something serene to get the image of a mate-eating mantis out of his head.

"Maybe next time. Say, Marco, have any of the spider eggs in the arachnid exhibits hatched yet?" Armin asked hopefully.

Marco recollected himself. "Oh! I'm sorry, we'll get back on track then, right this way... Sorry to make you stop, I sort of had this little tour planned for you."

"Oh! No, I appreciate it!" Armin assured him, worried as he would be with anyone that he might’ve been anything less than polite. "That's so nice of you, Marco, sorry, I'm just excited." he explained, quickly hopping to Marco's side to assure him of that as he lead him towards the butterfly room.

Eren looked up, realizing he was liable to get left behind, especially with his perfectly-nice boyfriend now worried about upsetting Marco, and quickly jogged along to catch up to them.

\--

The butterfly room had a beautiful sweet scent to it that complimented the beauty of the bountiful butterflies that fluttered all around the flora within, making it by far the most popular exhibit in the bug house, and certainly more calming for Eren than mantises or spiders could've been.

"It's hard not to love this place, I've even grown to enjoy that sweet smell we pump in here." Marco commented. "Oh, look over here, Armin!" he cried, pulling Armin by the hand while Eren was once again left to catch up with a sprint.

They stopped at a Pittier's Passion Vine, where Marco eagerly sought out the gorgeous blue butterfly at rest on one of the leaves.

"This is one of our new Sapho Longwings! I was so excited to show you, it's beautiful isn't it?"

Armin's grin could be seen for miles, Eren thought as he stood beside him, completely in love with his face and joy over this experience.

"Oh, Marco, it's stunning..." the blond whispered as he held out his hand in hopes that the butterfly would crawl into his palm.

"Here, try this." Marco began as he reached into his pocket for a small pouch of something yellow. He sprinkled it along Armin's hands and sure enough the butterfly came right up to him for a taste. "I extracted a little pollen and nectar for you in advance."

Armin blushed and stared wide eyed at the creature's mindless yet oh so marvelous behavior and the precious tickles of its feet and wings brushing against his skin.

Eren watched Armin with his heartbeat thumping rapidly in his chest. Every time Armin smiled for something he loved, it felt like the very beginning all over again; that feeling of excitement and the high of being so charmed by your lover, whom you absolutely adore. Eren cherished that feeling with all his titanic heart. This moment too, was an image Eren was already storing up in his mind to be remembered forever. That blue paletted butterfly even matched Armin's eyes, though it wasn't nearly as beautiful as they were. But suddenly, he saw Marco staring at Armin too, and leaning in very close. However, a mere bump against the forehead of an oblivious Armin stopped him.

The startled butterfly flew away, leaving Armin disappointed. "Aw, I'm sorry, Eren. I really wanted you to hold it too." he apologized, looking particularly saddened.

"I'm sorry, Armin!" Marco cried, though Eren could swear he seemed a little _too_ disappointed. "I'm sure it'll come back eventually. But you probably wanna hurry up and get to the spider exhibit, right?"

"Mm..." Armin hummed, trying not to be impolite again, but unable to hide how much he wanted to go.

Marco took the hint with another smile. "Alright. Let's get to it then..."

Eren watched angrily as Marco began leading Armin off without him yet again, and began taking long bitter strides to follow them on to the spider exhibit.

\--

Eren started thinking to himself as he walked along. Fuck Marco and his geeky obsessions! No, no, that's wrong... Eren couldn't really hate anybody for being passionate about something. It's just... why did his passion have to be something he can share with Armin? A thing Eren just couldn't achieve any major enthusiastic boners for. Armin must be having such a good time here, he thought. He must be so excited to see those spiders after Eren killed his that afternoon like a big ugly villain. He now scoffed at his own justifications for doing it, deeming it unforgivable, the more he obsessed over it. He figured Marco probably looked like a knight to Armin after that. A knight with a dream home to offer Prince Arlert while Eren had nothing to offer but his own two empty hands that beheld nothing of interest here. Maybe Armin would be happier here in this kingdom. Maybe... Marco would make him happier than Eren could. Eren felt a lump in his throat for that thought. The thought of losing Armin to Marco. Had he known killing one spider might mean the end of everything, he never would have even harmed it. But he did. And the guilt weighed heavily in his empty, clammy palms as he stared down at them in the middle of the busy hall. And in his mourning of their relationship, his mind retreated to an old happy memory...

\--

"Here, Eren. I promise it won't hurt you. It's just a firefly." Armin told him with such a soft and pleasant voice as his dainty hands landed gently in Eren's.

"They don't bite, do they?" Eren asked, trying not to seem as nervous as he was. Although Armin certainly made him feel so much better, (unlike the mean kids on the playground from his childhood who used to call him things like Jae-girl and Baby-butt for getting rather squeamish around bugs, earning several shoves and punches from him in return).

"Not at all! They're just cute little friends." Armin assured him in his quirky way, eventually realizing he should probably take his hands out of Eren's.

Eren smiled at the way the bug crawled around his palm. It didn't hurt a bit. It wasn't gross or scary. He was actually quite happy to have it there. It glowed and even seemed to enjoy Eren's company too! That was unusual. Most people disliked Eren for his off putting attitude. Or maybe Eren just pushed people away... But as he looked up to see Armin's face, he caught his eyes. Were they looking at _him_ this entire time? Armin seemed flustered and blushed, which may as well confirm it with a resounding yes. Eren smiled at him. "Hey... Why do you seem so nervous?"

Armin's voice was a little higher than usual, and his blush deepened. "Huh?! Ah-- Well, I-- I don't think I should tell you yet. It's probably too personal."

"Try me." Eren insisted softly.

"Hm?!"

"Try me." he repeated. "Maybe I wanna be personal with you too."

Armin swallowed the lump in his throat above his pounding heart, and scooted closer to Eren in the plush grass. "Well, um... I like you." he confessed quietly.

"You do?"

"Yeah... I mean, it's probably obvious, but... I really really do... I've never met anyone like you. There's so much inside you that you don't see, and all I wanna do is show it to you. You’re... amazing... And it's okay if you don't like me back. Because I just wanna see you find the greatness in yourself. I'm sorry, that was probably too personal. And I also can’t seem to stop talking... But I told myself already that I never wanna lie to you. So..."

"I see..." Eren replied, seemingly thinking to himself as he turned to look forward and held his hands out to the fireflies, happy to see another one land in his palm.

There was a long pause, and Armin became more and more nervous the longer he waited for a reply, hands jittering to the point that even his firefly friends didn't seem to want his attention. "Eren? Did I upset you?" he finally asked.

Eren finally turned to look at him again. "Sorry, that was just very sweet. So I wanted to make sure what I said was just as sweet. But... I'm bad with words. So..."

Suddenly Armin felt Eren's arm slip around his neck and a warmth radiate against him before he could even realize that Eren was right next to him now! Eren was right up against him, one another's spaces suddenly becoming one, becoming _their_ space. Eren had a smile on his face that Armin had never seen before. One even more beautiful than the best one he'd seen up until this point. He no longer even saw the fireflies around them, only the handsome, glowing face nearing his. And then he realized, _Eren was leaning in_ , waiting for Armin to decide whether he wanted to fill the gap between them. And, well, Armin didn't want to keep him waiting any longer...

\--

Eren stopped. He looked up and realized Marco and Armin were far ahead of him, while he was alone in the small crowd of patrons filing through the bug house. He clenched those empty hands into fists and took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders back, and smiling in determination. He decided not to give up. Armin was worth fighting for, and he wasn't about to let him go so easily!

He glanced around him at the various critters in the spider exhibit, and his eyes happened upon the biggest, creepiest thing he'd ever seen...

\--

Armin pressed his finger to the glass of a fuzzy wolf spider's tank with a melancholy smile. "He's very cute..."

"Wanna hold him?" Marco asked.

"Maybe later..." came Armin's sad reply.

"Hey... What's wrong?" the kind freckled boy asked, bringing a hand to his friend's shoulder. "You've been acting sad all afternoon..."

Armin breathed a heavy sigh. "Eren killed a wolf spider that I'd found this morning..."

Marco seemed saddened now too. "Oh... I see. I'm sorry he did that."

"Me too." Armin frowned, now pressing four fingers to the glass. "I just- wish he could see what I see. I know spiders look scary at first, dark, strange, blood thirsty, and menacing... but if one just looks a little closer... they're perfectly lovely. There’s nothing to be scared of at all. This one is so soft and cute. Why can't he see that?... I don't even know where he is right now..."

Marco watched as Armin stared at the spider with sad, half lidded eyes, seeming like he wanted to sink, looking like he was missing something pretty terribly.

Eren came running up a little ways behind them, smiling but sweating anxiously as he held a large tarantula in his hands, hoping it'd be a good start to fixing things with Armin. He would be so impressed to see Eren holding this, wouldn't he? And so romanced that Eren would be willing to do something so extremely out of his comfort zone, just for him! That's right, there was no way Armin would leave him for some nerd with an insect museum, Eren would fix it all, no matter what it took. But then, he stopped... and watched as the geeky pair stood at the glass, listening to Marco's romantic words which stole away all hope Eren had left in his heart.

Marco's hand made it's way up to the tank and rested next to Armin's. "You know... Maybe there's- someone out there who's better for you. Someone who can- give you something like this. And share in it with you, and make you happy. Someone better than Eren." he told him softly. His pale hand then slipped over Armin's delicate sunkissed one, like it had wanted to do since they were young.

Eren's heart sank. This one second felt like it would never end. It was too late, wasn't it? The worst has happened... and there was nothing he could do to fix it. He lost him. And he felt he had no one to blame but himself, _A Big Clumsy Villain..._ He closed his eyes and hung his head in shame. Marco was right. Armin deserved better. And Eren was out of chances. Armin's happiness was more important to him than his own, and so he decided he must let him go. He turned around and left the pair alone, heading off to return the tarantula and finally leave this heartbreaking bug house, but perhaps only a second too soon...

As Marco's hand slipped over Armin's, a sudden wave of fire rushed through the previously polite fellow. "What are you doing?!" he scolded in a whisper, blue eyes ablaze with fury under his furrowed blond brows as he yanked his hand away.

Marco blushed. "I-- Well, I thought maybe- you and I could--"

"You and I could _what_?!" he whispered furiously at his old friend, though his voice really treaded that line between whispering and yelling.

Marco was surprised at this reaction. He’d never seen Armin angry before. Really, no one had. "Th-that we could, you know... Start over. As something more than friends." he confessed nervously.

Armin grit his teeth. "Did you think you could come onto me here when you know darn well I'm in love with Eren?! Seducing me with bugs?! What part of this did you think would be okay with me?! Can you name one reason why I should ever even _speak_ to you again?! And how _dare_ you say that about Eren, I--" Armin wanted to go on but simply huffed, stopping himself. He decided this wasn't even worth dignifying with anger. That would just be too flattering. He rolled his shoulders back and lightly brushed his former friend aside. "Excuse me, Marco, I'm leaving, and I'm sorry to tell you that I won't be back again, either. Good bye."

Marco watched shamefully as Armin stormed away, knowing from the unparalleled look in his piercing eyes that he didn't even get a taste of just how angry that boy really was at him...

\--

Eren sadly handed back the spider to the staff member in charge of the petting station and slipped his hands into his pockets with a sigh before starting his long walk out. Suddenly, however, the sound of Armin's voice hit his ear and he saw the blond angrily stomping near him.

"Come on, Eren, we're leaving." the blond insisted with a low growl in his voice as he pulled at Eren's arm.

"Hm? But don't you wanna--"

"Now, please?"

Eren argued no further seeing as Armin was dead serious. "A-alright." and followed him outside, the fiery blond pulling his arm all the way.

"Mind if we take a walk?!" Armin asked with a short tone as he stamped down the stairs.

"Uhh, sure! Sure, whatever you want." the green eyed boy replied, figuring Armin was planning his break up speech wherein he'd finally let Eren have it...

Armin marched angrily with Eren around the corner and along the sidewalk to the park, muttering to himself incoherently. However, he began steadily mellowing out the further away they got from the insectarium, helped also by the fresh air he was taking in.

Eren studied his irate partner as they finally slowed down and could see that Armin was in need of a rest. He paused by a park bench beneath an apple blossom tree and spoke gently. "Can we sit down and talk?"

Armin turned to look up at Eren's caring eyes, already feeling much calmer because of him. "Yes, please."

Eren gestured for Armin to sit first and followed suit, wringing his hands nervously.

Armin began his calm rant as he leaned back against the bench with a light thud, letting his head fall back against the wood. "I can't believe this day... You think you know somebody and then they just- God, but I was really stupid, I had no idea he was even coming onto me until the end. Did you?"

Eren listened with a confused expression. Wasn't Armin angry at _him_? Maybe this was his cue to just start apologizing regardless... "Umm... Hey, listen." He began, fighting tears but already knowing he'd lose the battle as he went on. "I-- I'm really sorry. About this afternoon, about every spider I've killed before this, about every shred of disappointment I've ever given you. You deserve better... If you wanna be with Marco, I promise I won't get in your way, I just- wanted you to know how truly sorry I am. I love you and I want you to be happy. So, please choose that instead of me." he said, tears pooling in his eyes without hesitation.

Now Armin was the one listening with a confused expression. "Eren, did you think I--" The blond had to pause as he put the pieces together and couldn't help chuckling a little to himself, his anger dissipating completely now. "You think I wanna be with Marco?"

Eren blushed, still confused and still hurting. "He was flirting with you all day! Didn't he just ask you to date a moment ago?"

Armin gazed empathetically into those sore emerald eyes, smiling at him so amorously, and feeling so happy that he would be able to clear things up for him. "Yes, he did, but I told him no. Because I love _you_." he explained, bringing a loving hand to Eren's cheek.

Eren perked up right away. Armin chose _him_?! He couldn't help smiling again too. "You chose me?" he asked meekly.

Armin shook his head in amusement. "Of course, I did. Years ago? I've never regretted it. Why should I? Eren, you’re the only one for me."

The promise in Armin's voice brought a lightness to Eren's heartbeat. Armin never even considered breaking up with him. Not even for a second! "So... even after this morning, you still... wanna be with me?" he asked with a nervous smile.

Armin smiled yet again, another warm chuckle in his voice as he spoke as he wondered what he ever did to deserve such a pure-hearted man. "Eren, did you really think I was going to leave you over a spider?"

Eren blushed again as it began to really sink in how silly that was, and grinned to himself both for his confusion, and for his relief. His wet, shining eyes met Armin's again. "...I'm still sorry about it though."

"I know you are." Armin simpered, blue eyes sparkling for his boyfriend who only ever had love to give him. "Come here..." he whispered, wiping away the raven haired boy's tears and pulling himself in to show Eren just how forgiven he was. He pressed his lips to Eren's, parting them gently, as his hands slid over Eren's chest and around to his back.

Eren's whole body finally released its tension from the long afternoon and relaxed in Armin's arms to hold him close and return his lips' invitation with soft kisses of his own. He drank Armin in with deep thirst, cherishing his soft thin lips as they pulled at his with gentle hums and sighs, and kissed him back with all the love in his beating heart. But suddenly, he felt something lightly land on his arm, making him pause in surprise as his eyes shot wide open. "Mmh!"

Armin pulled away with a wet pop to address Eren's concern. “What’s wrong?” he asked, following the gaze of Eren’s nervous eyes.

Both boys quickly spotted a little jumping spider at rest on Eren's forearm after having hopped down from one of the tree branches dangling above them.

"Here, I'll get it." Armin offered sweetly as he reached out to pick up the little visitor.

But Eren halted him. "No, no! I-It's okay, he can stay there..." the dark haired boy insisted with a nervous smile.

Armin looked up into those wet green eyes adoringly before gently picking up the little spider with care and placing it on one of the low hanging branches of the tree behind them. "I'd like to just have you all to myself for a while, if that's okay..." he requested with a certain hum in his voice as his hands began caressing Eren's chiseled face and brushing over his neck.

Eren felt a tickle in his stomach for the suggestiveness in Armin's tone and the pair wasted no time resuming their kiss, which lasted well into sunset and left them both a little hungry for something more...

Armin let out little laughs for the feeling of Eren's budding evening stubble brushing against his chin, bringing out satisfactory low growls from Eren's happy throat, while his hands slipped under that hand-me-down sweater of Armin's and even under his old yellowed white shirt to feel his soft skin against his palms, the two of them all but forgetting they were in public while this heat grew between their lips, chests, and legs...

Armin pulled away reluctantly before things got any hotter between them, much to Eren’s relief as he always depended on Armin to keep situations from getting out of hand like this. "Is it too late to take you up on that dinner offer?" he asked, his breath hitting Eren's lips with cool puffs that still drew Eren in closer.

"Well, it won't have that rewarding slow cooked flavor but yeah, I can whip it up in no time." Eren grinned, a fang of lust hidden in his toothy smile.

Armin couldn't resist that face, that villainous face that scared others but warmed him up with feelings of comfort and joy. He ecstatically ran his hands through Eren's soft, fluffy hair, inciting happy chuckles from his darling partner. "Mmm, sometimes fast and hot is just as rewarding..." he mewled, kissing him one last time to the disgust of the passersby, though he couldn't say he really cared what they thought.

Eren laughed at the feeling of this treasured affection and his gaze met Armin's in silence as their foreheads bumped gently.

The pair looked into each others eyes for a short but wonderful moment, saying _I love you_ without words, before Eren looked up with a thrill and wide, excited eyes. "Hey, look!" he called, spotting the first firefly of the night and welcoming it to perch on his finger. "They’re out already! I like this exhibit way better." he joked.

Armin just looked at Eren with a quiet smile, his starry eyes locked on him like he could study him forever. But it was getting late. He took Eren's free hand in his with a loving clutch and pulled at it as he stood up. "Let's go home. You can play your music for us while we have _dessert_." he suggested.

Eren smirked at him with excitement as he stood up to meet him. "Alright. But you’re in charge of the dishes this time." he snarked.

“Are you going to do the budget?” Armin snarked back, knowing full well the answer would be no.

Eren poised himself with pride. “No, but that’s cuz I take care of more important work around the place. Like making sure _you_ sleep well at night.” he hummed, leaning in to brush the tip of his nose against Armin’s ear to make him snicker.

Armin exhaled and let his head fall against Eren’s shoulder. “I love you...” he sighed.

“I love you too.” came the familiar echo.

Leaning against one another with their arms around each other, the pair began their walk home in the twilight air, escorted by happy fireflies blinking wildly all around them, filled with bliss, and songs of love in their heads.


End file.
